A definite need exists for a low cost transport means for heavy materials around the home or farm. Even the smallest farm wagons cost several hundred dollars to purchase and are not entirely suitable for small hauling applications. Moving heavy materials for any substantial distance by means of a wheelbarrow in the customary manner is very difficult and therefore not desirable or practical.
The prior art presently does not satisfy the need for a low cost, convenient and versatile hauling device for relatively small loads of material around the home or farm, and it is the objective of this invention to satisfy that need. More particularly, the invention employs the common wheelbarrow as one of its components but the wheelbarrow is not manipulated manually during hauling of the load and only during dumping or emptying of the load at the proper destination. Consequently, loads of material which cannot be conveniently transported under manual power in a wheelbarrow can be easily and economically transported by the invention, and without resorting to expensive additional equipment. The only additional equipment employed is a simple low-cost dolly which may be coupled behind a conventional garden tractor or like vehicle and which has means to connect with and support the leg structure of a wheelbarrow so that the same may be towed behind the tractor and dolly with the customary front wheelbarrow wheel arranged rearmost, rather than forwardly.
The elevated and supported wheelbarrow leg structure is safely and releasably locked to the intermediate dolly during transport of the load and the arrangement is such that the wheelbarrow can be quickly released from the dolly for manual dumping in the usual manner.
The connection between the wheelbarrow leg structure and dolly is horizontally rigid while allowing vertical hinge action between the wheelbarrow and dolly while the caravan is traveling over irregular terrain.
Caster wheels on the rear of the dolly are widely spaced for stability and allow the necessary lateral movement of the caravan during turning. Backing up of the caravan is made easy under the invention.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description.